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Navalny had charisma and strength of character, as well as a sense of humour and the ability to inspire - rare for a Russian politician. He also understood the power of the internet for getting across his message. He and his team produced and uploaded highly polished documentaries that shone a light on alleged corruption at the highest levels of power in Russia. "What we're seeing now," he told me in 2017, "is that the internet is the number one concern for the current regime - and its number one enemy, too."